


This Awkward Thing

by orphan_account



Category: Hockey RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Awkward, Awkward Crush, Females in the NHL, First Kiss, First Love, First Time, M/M, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Sidney likes hugs, all Max's fault, everything is awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-01
Updated: 2014-07-01
Packaged: 2018-02-06 16:22:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1864419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The Flyers really aren't that bad." Sidney mumbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Awkward Thing

**Author's Note:**

> I had a bad urge to write this. Please forgive me for all the mistakes. If this totally sucks, I understand. I didn't really plan this.
> 
> I own nothing and no one. This was made for entertainment purposes and not to make money.
> 
> I don't know if Claude was actually in the Sochi Olympics or not, but let's pretend he was.
> 
> The phone call between Max and Sidney happened in 2014, so let's pretend Talbot is still a Flyer.

Sidney Crosby is plain weird. The way he acts, walks, speaks, and thinks completely screams awkward. Everyone knows this. They've all gotten used to it.

What they've also gotten used to is his unnatural and overwhelming hatred of the Flyers.

After he and Jack went their seperate ways. Max became his new best friend (he was always a good friends, but you can only have one -best- friend, y'know?). Funny, charming, and completely awesome. Who -doesn't- love the guy?

Everyone on the team knows he likes men, and they tease him about it everyday. But Max was different. He's fine with it, but he focused more on trying to find his captain a boyfriend rather than joke about it.

When Max was traded, it crushed Sidney. But they vowed to stay friends even though Talbot plays for Philadelphia. He even promised to put up with the other man's new teammates, and he -never- breaks a promise.

It bothered Sid every now and then that he spent so much time around various Flyers. But he puts it aside. If he takes a moment to temporarily erase their faces from the hockey world, he kind of likes them.

Well, except Claude.

Giroux is an easy guy to talk to. He shares Sidney's love for hockey. Whenever Max forces the Penguins to designate for him, the two captains would spend the night discussing anything and everything hockey.

That sounds great. And it would be. If his stupid feelings would stop trying to ruin his life.

He never had feelings for his friends, and he considered Claude a friend. Then one home game against Philadelphia, all of that changed.

Its all Max's fault really.

Sidney spent a good two hours in Claude's hotel room after Talbot kicked him out so he could fuck some girl. They just talked about Jagr, Palffy, and pond hockey. It was fantastic.

He ended up spending the night, crashing on the floor.

Crosby had woken up well before the Flyer. He didn't want to make it weird by waiting for the other man to wake up. Then what would he do?

So he just left, kindly leaving a note on the bedside table.

Sidney had thought it was a nice gesture that didn't mean much of anything.

"Are you fucking Claude?" Max asked the next morning over the phone.

Sid turns a bright shade of red, "What?"

Talbot sighs, "Are you hooking up with my captain, yes or no?"

"No! Why would you even -think- that?" Sid replies frantically.

"If you aren't sleeping with him, then why did you spend all night with him?" Maxime questions.

"We were talking about hockey." Sidney says in a rush.

Max stays silent for a few seconds, "Its actually pathetic that I believe you were talking instead of banging one of the hottest hockey players out there."

At this point, Crosby has turned so red that Geno is throwing him looks.

"Oh my god, shut up! Why can't i just have a friend?" Sid whines.

Talbot chuckles, "Whatever, -Crosby-. You know you can't resist a man in orange."

Sidney hangs up, no sense in embarrassing himself further.

He's never, ever thought about Claude like that. Sure, he's good looking, but so are a lot of people. It doesn't mean he has to -like- them.

Now he can't stop thinking about it.

"Should be Cap, then jersey match face." Geno teases, elbowing his captain's side.

"Fuck you." Sid mumbles, trying to push Malkin off the couch.

When he doesn't budge and the smaller man almost falls off himself, Crosby stops with a grunt.

"Why are you so big?" Sidney asks.

"Why you whiner?" Geno chirps, a shit eating smirk on his face.

Sidney gives him a look, "You're the -worst- teammate ever."

"Could be worse." Geno points out.

"We could be Flyers." Flower says, plopping down next to his captain.

Yeah, and Sidney could have this weird heat in his stomach just thinking about Claude.

Oh wait! He actually does.

His life is over.

~

Sidney doesn't see Claude again until the Olympics.  
Well, not in person anyways.

Ever since his little crush thing started, he's been watching all of Philadelphia's games, keeping his eyes trained on Giroux the moment he steps onto the ice. 

Its surprising how he'd never, ever interact with any Flyer unless he was forced to. Hell, he never watched them play unless he was part of the action or trying to learn his opponent. Now, he spends all his time wishing Claude was there, counting the days until they reunite.

Giroux is most definitely straight, which is the worst part (besides the fact that he is a Flyer). So he's never going to feel the same.

Its not like Sidney would know what to do -if- the other man likes him. He's technically not a virgin and he's sort of been kissed before because he kind of had a girlfriend named Robin who he was with so he's stop being teased.

It's not that he has a problem with his sexuality. He's afraid that everyone -else- will (except Max because he's awesome).

Rolling his shoulders, Sidney hoists his bag up higher onto his shoulder. He was never this nervous in 2010, and that was his first Olympics.

But his nerves have nothing to do with being captain. He's done it everyday since he was given the honored position with the Pens, he never once found his hands trembling or his heart racing.

Taking a deep breath, Sidney opens the door and prays his heart doesn't explode.

"Sidney!" Claude greets, holding out his arms for a friendly embrace.

This is a rare occasion that only comes when the Flyer is really happy, so Sidney takes the opportunity for a hug, ignoring the way his heart flutters, "Hey G."

"It feels like it's been forever since I've seen you." Giroux says once they've pulled apart.

Sid blushes, "Glad to know that I'm not the only one."

The Flyer walks over to his stall, which is (conveniently) next to Crosby's (why does this always happen to him? why?).

"Hey Squid!" Army says, giving his former captain a one armed hug.

"Squid?" Claude asks, his eyebrows raised.

"It's a nickname I got when I played baseball." Sid explains.

Giroux cocks his head to the side, a grin lighting up his face, "Wait, so you're -not- a hockey playing robot?"

"No, he is," Colby answers for him, "He used a hockey stick as a bat and a puck for the ball."

His two friends laugh together while Sid stands there, staring at them with a horrifid expression and a small smirk. He tries not to think about it. But -damn-, Claude could be one of the sexiest hockey players.

"Get a move on ladies! We need to practice if you don't want to disappoint your whole country." Babcock barks.

Sidney instantly drops his bag, starting to change.

"Congrats on being named captain." Claude says, lightly elbowing the Penguin. "The C looks good on you."

Sidney colors, "Thanks. Uh, you too."

Giroux's face breaks out into that gorgeous grin that Sidney has seen before but never realized how much he enjoyed it. "Try to go easy on me, okay?"

Crosby giggles (literally, because he's a teenage girl), "I'll do my best."

After they were done changing and heading out to the ice, Army gives him a 'you've got to be kidding me' look, rolling his eyes when Sid blushes even brighter.

"I thought you didn't like them." Colby ays.

"The Flyers really aren't that bad." Sidney mumbles.

Are they really not bad as he thought?

~

He and Claude hang out that day, discussing their usual stuff. Then, around ten, Sid is sitting cross legged on Giroux's bed while the other man lays propped up in his elbow, they suddenly have nothing to talk about.

"Wow. We are -such- losers." Claude points out after a moment of silence.

"Well, we can talk about something else!" Sid suggests.

"Do you want something to drink?" Claude asks, getting up from the bed.

Sidney follows him, "Water would be great."

Giroux hands him a cold bottle from the fridge, "You have a sister, right?"

"Yeah, Taylor. She plays goalie at SSM."

"Maybe you can recruit her and replace Fleury."

Sid snorts, "I would much rather -die-. I mean, I already have teammates who pull enough pranks on me. The last thing I want is for her to help."

Claude chuckles, "She's still family."

"I know, but she likes the Kings. So its not like I can change her mind." Crosby replies.

"Why are you still here?" Army asks, barging into the room, "Its nearly eleven and we have a game tomorrow."

Sidney blushes, "Okay, -mother-."

Giroux frowns, "I guess, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll see you then." Sid says before Colby drags him out of the room, "Its no where near eleven, is it?"

"No, but I know how you get when you don't get the right amount of sleep. And I dont wanna deal with it."

"You're an ass." Sidney groans as he's pushed into his own room.

~

Claude and Sidney hang out regularly. Now they talk about their families. And it feels good. Being able to release all his hidden stress onto someone who wont judge him.

Once the Olympics end, they exchange phone numbers. Texting each other throughout the day, calling at night. 

It's nothing like the real thing, obviously. He longs for contact, to smell the other man's strong cologne. But he has to wait one ore month.

The saddest part is, its the last time they're scheduled to play against each other. So its the last time Sidney will see his crush until next year.

~

The next month goes by slow. They win most of their games. Losing one on the road against the Kings and one at home versus the Caps (which also meant he had to hang out with Geno and Ovechkin while the Russians get hammered. then Alex would continuously flirt with Sid as Malkin laughed his ass off because his embarrassment is -so- damn funny.)

Once its time for the Flyers to fly to Pittsburgh, Claude sends him a 'miss you'. Sidney is so excited. A little to excited. It gets to the point where his heart is racing as he parks his car in the Consol's parking lot.

Can you blame him? He's never had a crush on someone he was close to before. He trusts Claude almost as much as his teammates, if not the same.

"Why Sid so happy?" Geno asks, raising his eyebrows.

Sidney blushes, "No reason."

Malkin throws his arm onto his captain's shoulders, "Sid finally get laid?"

"Shut up." Sid groans, leaning into the warmth of the Russian.

"Good for captain! Need man make you happy." Geno says, "You know I always here to help."

Crosby colors a darker red, "Oh my God, stop talking."

And that was how Geno started chanting 'Crosby got laid!' all the way into the locker room (there was a small delay because Malkin didn't know that he can't walk in front of the visitor's locker room , so they had to walk around to the other side).

They're about to walk in their locker room when a familiar face stops them.

"You did? Congrats!" Max says, clapping him on the shoulder.

Sidney opens his mouth to say something mean, but then he sees Claude and instantly throws his arms around his friend.

"You got laid?" Claude asks, his voice and eyes showing how hurt he is.

Sid pulls back, "No! Geno's just being an ass."

Giroux smiles softly, licking his lips (which makes Sidney want to punch himself for watching the movement), "I know this is know this is kind of random and I probably should've asked you sooner, but is it cool if I come over after the game?"

"Of course. I was, um, hoping you'd ask." Sidney replies.

"Okay," The Flyer turns to his teammate, "Come on Max. We need to go get ready can beat these losers."

Claude gives Sidney a playful wink before walking off. Max does this weird, pelvic thrust while making this stupid kissing face before following his captain.

Sid turns to Geno, who has this mortified expression on his face, "What?"

Malkin just makes a choking noise, his eyes widening and his body as stiff as a board. Without saying a words, he spins on his heel and walks into their locker room.

Sidney rolls his eyes before strutting after him.

Apparently, Geno's shocked face worries everyone. So they constantly badger him with questions until the Russian finally chokes out, "Sid .. sleep with ... Giroux." and covers his face with his hands.

"No I'm not!" Sidney protests.

"I thought you didn't like the Flyers -Sid-." Duper says, eyeing him suspiciously.

"The Flyers really aren't that bad." Crosby mumbles for a second time.

This time, it feels like it makes sense.

"Did somebody, like, burn your jock and discontinue your peanut butter, or something?" Tanger asks, looking as horrified as Geno.

Flower snorts, "A -Flyer-? I mean,Ovie would be better, and he's a super freak."

"Oh my god. G and I are just friends." Sid groans, trying to finish changing.

"Wow. You have nicknames for each other to? Damn." Flower teases.

"Wait, why Sanja?" Malkin asks, looking confused.

Kuni rolls his eyes, "Don't be stupid Geno. Everyone knows Ovechkin has the hots for Sid."

Geno's brows knit together, eyes going wide and mouth slack. Clearly dumbfound and even more shocked.

Sidney rolls his shoulders and ignores the chirping.

If only they knew how right he wanted them to be.

~

The game is difficult to say the least. Playing against Max is always hard, especially with all they've been through. But now there's the added pressure of his crush being on the other side as well.

Every time he sees Claude, Sidney's breathing stops momentarily and his heart skips a beat or two. He has to bite his bottom lip extra hard to keep from smiling.

He feels pathetic on every level. Its even worse when Giroux sends him a text post game saying he'd follow the Penguin to his house.

Crosby gets dressed way faster than what he needs to. Delayed by Brooksie telling him to be safe and not let his heart get broken. Apparently Claude isn't a very loyal person (how Orpik would know Sid doesn't understand) and he should be careful.

Giroux is already standing outside his own car when Sidney finally escapes. The Flyer waves before climbing into the driver's side. Crosby's heart flutters as he gets in his own Range Rover.

The drive to his house is short. He purposefully positioned it to where he'll live close to Mario but not to far from the Consol. Its genius, really.

He doesn't wait for Claude (because he doesn't want to seem weird or anything). The Flyer seems a little jittery, licking his lips constantly as Sidney tries to talk about his sister.

"Okay, what's wrong?" Sid asks after at least ten minutes.

Giroux looks surprised, "Oh .. uh .. n-nothing. Nothing's wrong."

Crosby gives him a look, "Pleeeeease. I don't want you to be nervous around me."

"Fine," Claude caves, "Are you, um .. seeing anyone?"

"No." Sidney replies, blushing slightly.

The Flyer sits up, "Really? There's no special girl that stole Sidney Crosby's heart?"

Crosby starts to speak without even thinking, "I don't uh, like girls."

Claude's eyes pop open, "Are .. are you serious?"

The Penguin bites his lip, "Yeah .. you're not .. mad or-or upset are you?"

"Of course not silly," Giroux replies, "I just .. I thought I was the only one."

Sidney's heart skips a few beats, "But I've .. I've seen you kiss girls before."

Claude sighs, "I was just .. trying to impress ... you."

Crosby isn't really sure what to say, so he just stares at the Flyer from his seat on the other side of the kitchen table.

"Do you, um .. like anyone?" Claude asks.

"Well .. yeah. But I don't think he likes me back." Sid replies honestly, "I mean, I know I'm not the easiest person to talk to, especially since hockey is my life. And I've never really been a people person. Hell, I've never made a friend outside of my team. Well, besides you."

Giroux's eyebrows knit together, "I'm sure whoever the lucky bastard is would want you for all your little quirks. Personally, I think your best feature is how you dedicated your entire life to doing what you love," He pauses, "And so what if you don't talk to a lot of people? Obviously you're a great guy and you're actually funny most of the time, so ts their loss if you don't talk to them, not yours!" He licks his lips, looking a little ashamed, "I'm sure that he'll like you. He'd be an idiot not to."

Sidney's cheeks burn from how much he's blushing, so looks down at his lap, "Do you, uh, like anyone?"

"I do actually." Claude's voice is soft as he speaks.

Crosby feels slightly disappointed, "Oh, well I'm sure he's a good person."

"He is," the Flyer says, "He's insecure about himself, though he'll never admit it. Um, he's super hot, but he doesn't know it. He's really, really good at hockey, and everyone who doesn't truly know how hard he works, how much he's sacrificed, hates him for it," Sidney looks into his eyes, "But it doesn't really matter, I guess. Because he likes somebody else, and he doesn't like anyone that plays for the Flyers."

Sidney's throat swells up, blocking off all his air. He doesn't really know what to do except stare. 

"Is .. Is that okay?" Claude asks.

Crosby smiles, "That's .. more than okay. Because I-I feel the same way."

Giroux looks shocked, "You're .. You're being serious? This isn't some sort of .. of joke that you and Max made up, or something?"

"No, no. I'd never do that." Sid replies.

The Flyer's face breaks out into a grin. He stays silent for a few minutes, rubbing his face and wiping his hands on his jeans, "So .. what do we do now?"

"Well .. we could, like, kiss, or something." Sidney suggests.

They both get up at them same time. Slowly approaching each other. Sid's stomach twists into knots when Claude cups the back of his head.

"I've ... I've never done this with a g-guy before." Crosby whispers.

Giroux mirks, "Finally found something I'm better at than you, eh?"

The Penguin opens his mouth to reply, but Claude takes his lips with his, and whatever he was going to say didnt seem important.

Sidney is hesitant. Keeping his hands on the other man's shoulders as their lips glide against each other. When Claude's tongue touches his lip, the smaller man lets him in. The Flyer's hand slowly move down Sid's ass to cup the curve of it.

Giroux pushes him up against the wall, moving down to suck on the Penguin's neck, "You're so beautiful."

The other man's hot breath makes him shutter. "You're pretty good looking yourself."

Without missing a beat, Claude starts taking off his own shirt. So Sidney unbuttons his shirt ungracefully,letting it drop to floor as he let's out a moan.

Giroux goes back up to his jaw, pressing soft kisses there, "We have all night, so well go slow, 'kay?"

"Okay." Sid breaths.

"Do you, uh, want to take this to the bedroom? I'm sure it'll be more comfortable." Clause asks awkwardly.

Crosby wordlessly nods, grabbing the other man's wrist to lead him to the bedroom.

~

For the next six months months, they talk, like normal. Discussing each game over the phone or arguing via about who the best player is (besides themselves). They two weeks of their summer together. Lazily lounging around Sidney's house in Nova Scotia, trading sloppy kisses while watching some ridiculous show Claude is into for some reason. When it was time for them to go back, Crosby felt different, more complete.

They didn't tell their teammates until their one year anniversary. They hadn't planned to. But Geno , Flower, and Max just barged into their house like they lived there (they might as well since they come over so much) while the couple was making out on the couch. Telling everyone came naturally.

Its weird to think Sidney had gone so long without love, without even attempting to find someone who made him happy. He never said it out loud, but he was lonely. He hated being that hird wheel. The guy who never dates or hooked up with strangers.

The solution to his problems was in front of his eyes for three damn years, and he never would've realized it if it wasn't for Max.

~

"Sidney Crosby, you just battled a hard game against state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, do you still dislike them as yoou once said?" Dan Potash asks, nearly sticking the microphone in his face.

Sidney smiles, "The Flyers really aren't that bad."

They're not. They're actually pretty amazing.


End file.
